Plan To Improve Conn. Child Mental Health To Begin

HARTFORD, CT - FEBRUARY 14: A woman holds up a sign during a rally at the Connecticut State Capital to promote gun control legislation in the wake of the December 14, 2012, school shooting in Newtown on February 14, 2013 in Hartford, Connecticut. Referred to as the "March for Change" and held on the two-month anniversary of the massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, participants called for improved gun safety laws. Among the safety measures being demanded are for universal background checks, more work within the mental health community and restricting high-capacity magazines. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

ROCKY HILL, Conn. (AP) _ Connecticut’s Department of Children and Families will begin developing a plan to meet the behavioral health needs of children across the state.

The plan is required under legislation passed last year by the General Assembly in response to the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which left 20 first graders and six educators dead. The shooter was 20 years old.

DCF expects to develop the blueprint with help from families, advocates and leading experts. Focusing on ways to prevent and reduce the long-term negative impact of mental, emotional and behavioral health issues on children, the plan is expected to be completed by October.

DCF Commissioner Joette Katz, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and mental health advocates are scheduled to announce the initiative during an event on Tuesday in Rocky Hill.